Label wiping mechanism



March 30, 1943. c: H. OSLUND LABEL WIPING MECHANISM Filed June 17, 19414' Sheets- Sheet l 4 II. M.

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LABEL WIPING MECHANISM Filed June 17, 1941 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 CHARLES H.05L UND March 30, 1943.

C. H, OSLUND LABEL WIPING MECHANISM Filed June 17, 1941 4 Shee ts-Sheet5 CHARLE; H. 03L 1mm marchsogms. v C.H.OSLYUND 2,315,349

LABEL WIPING MECHANISM Filed June 1-7, 1941 l 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 o z oI/I/l/I/l/l/I/l/II CHARL'Es H. 05L (1ND Patented Mar. 30, 1943 UNITEDSTATES 1 PATENT OFFICE LABEL WIPI NG MECHANISM Charles H. Oslund,Worcester, Mass.

Application June 1'7, 1941, Serial No. 398,382

14 Claims.

This invention relates to label wiping mechanisms, and more particularlyto a mechanism forming part of a labeling machine and arranged to wipelabels smoothly and firmly around the articles to be labeled.

My invention is well adapted for use in a labeling machine of the rotarytype, which comprises a rotary table on which the articles, such asglass bottles, are supported during the labeling operation. Machines ofthis type are provided with picker mechanisms which apply the adhesivecoated labels to the front of the moving bottles, and if the labels arecomparatively short they may be wiped by causing the bottles to passbetween stationary brushes or similar devices. If however the labels arelong, and particularly if their ends must overlap at the rear of the bottles, it is necessary to provide other means to obtain the desiredresults. It is a common practice to wrap thin metal foils about theupper ends of bottles, and the invention is particularly suitable forthis purpose. The term label in the specification and claims is used ina broad sense to include such foils.

It has been proposed heretofore to utilize rollers to press the labelsinto position, and various mechanisms have been employed to actuate suchrollers. Great difiiculties have been encountered in obtaining a smoothwiping action, particularly at high operating speeds. In some casesthere is a tendency to lift the end of the label away from the bottle asthe roller leaves the same, instead of pressing it firmly into the desired position. Many of the prior mechanisms require cams which aredifficult and expensive to manufacture with the necessary accuracy.

It is accordingly one object of the invention to provide a comparativelysimple and inexpensive label wiping mechanism, and particularly toprovide such mechanism in combination with a labeling machine of therotary type.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a mechanism whichwill Wrap labels firmly and smoothly about articles such as glassbottles, and which will overlap the ends of the labels when they are ofsufiicient length.

It is a further object of the invention to proide a label wipingmechanism which will operate smoothly and efiiciently at high speeds.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a label wipingmechanism which will not require cams of a complicated and expensivenature.

With these and other objects in View, as will be apparent to thoseskilled in the art, the invention resides in the combination of partsset forth in the specification and covered by the claims appendedhereto.

Referring to the drawings illustrating one embodiment of the inventionand in which like reference numerals indicate like parts:

Fig. 1 is an elevation of a portion of a rotary labeling machine,partially broken away for clearness of illustration;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view, as indicated by the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a section taken on the line 3- 3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a section taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1;

Figs. 5, 6 and 7 are views similar to Fig. 4, showing the positions ofthe various parts at quarter-cycle intervals;

Fig. 8 is a section on the line 8-8 of Fig. 6;

Fig. 9 is a top plan view of a roller-supporting arm; and

Fig. 10 is a side elevation of the arm shown in Fig. 9.

The embodiment illustrated comprises a horizontal table I5 arranged tobe rotated about a vertical axis in a clockwise direction, preferably ata constant speed, and adapted to support a series of articles to belabeled, such as the glass bottles B. The bottles are placed upon thetable and removed therefrom by any suitable mechanism. At each bottlestation there is provided a vertically reciprocable top grip l6 and theusual label gripper ll, all of well-known construction. The bottlesreceive the labels from a suitable picker mechanism, and they approachthe label wiping mechanism in a single arcuate line of travel. Theparticular table illustrated is provided with eight equally spacedbottle stations, so that successive stations are forty-five degreesapart.

A stationary platform I9 is spaced above the table, this platform beingsupported upon the upper end of a vertical column 20 located close tothe periphery of the table and suitably secured to the base of themachine. These parts form a framework for the support of a novelmechanism which wipes the labels smoothly and firmly around the bottlesas they pass beneath the platform. The embodiment illustrated isparticularly concerned with the wiping of foils around the necks of thebottles, although the invention is adapted for use with other types oflabels.

The wiping mechanism includes two vertical rotatable shafts'22 and 23which extend upwardly through the platform It) on opposite sides of thebottle line," i. e. the path along which the bottles travel. The shaft22 is located on the inner side of the bottle line, and the shaft 23 islocated on the outer side of the bottle line. Furthermore, the innershaft 22 is located appreciably in advance of the outer. shaft 23, withrespect to the direction of bottle travel. A hub 24 is keyed to theupper portion of the shaft 22, this hub having a flange 26 formed withtwo arcuate slots 21 (Fig. 2) through which screws 28 extend downwardlyinto a gear 30 beneath the flange. A similar hub 31 is keyed to'theupper portion of the shaft 23, this hub likewise having a flange 32formed with two arcuate slots 34 through which screws 35 extenddownwardly into a gear 36 beneath the flange. A gear 38 is keyed to theupper end of a vertical rotatable drive shaft 39 and meshes with thegear 30. An idler gear 48 connects the gears 35 and 38. The gears 33 and35 are of the same diameter and consequently rotate at the same speed,but by reason of the idler 49 they rotate in opposite directions. Theshaft 39 is driven in a counterclockwise direction and in timedrelationship with the table l by any suitable means, the speed ratiobeing such that the shafts 22 and 23 will rotate once for each cycle.For example, with eight bottle stations on the table, the shafts 22 and23 will rotate eight times as fast as the table. The inner shaft 22rotates in the same direction as the table, whereas the outer shaft 23rotates in a direction opposite to that of the table.

The shafts 22 and 23 carry label-wiping devices on their lower ends andimpart a new and highly advantageous motion to these devices. For thispurpose a crank 42 is secured to the lower end of the shaft 22, thiscrank having a downwardly projecting crank pin 4-3 on which an arm 44 ispivotally mounted. One end of this arm is bifurcated to receive alabel-wiping device in the form of a roller 46 which is rotatablysecured to the arm by means of a vertical pin 43.. This roller ispreferably made of soft rubber or other yieldable material. The otherend of the arm forms a tail piece 48 which is so guided as to controlthe path of travel of the roller as the crank pin 43 revolves. In theembodiment illustrated this tail piece is provided with a longitudinalslot 50 into which the lower portion of a vertical rod 5| extends. Withthis construction the tail piece can both slide and pivot on the rod.The tail piece 48 may be integral with the remainder of the arm 44, butthese parts are preferably formed separately and pivotally connected bymeans of the crank pin 63. As shown particularly in Figs. 9 and 10, themain portion of the arm 44 is provided with a lug 53 and with aprojecting finger 54, while pressure against the roller 63 is sufficientto overcome the force of the spring. It will be noted that the arms 44and BI are of opposite hand, for the reason that they are located onopposite sides of the bottle line.

The labels are preferably wiped smoothly against the sides of the bottlenecks before they are engaged by the rollers 46 and 63. For this purposea brush 1B is mounted at the inner side of the bottle line, in advanceof the roller 46, and a brush H is mounted at the outer side of thebottle line, in advance of the roller 83. The brushes are supported onthe lower ends of vertical rods 18 and 1.9 respectively, these rodsbeing secured at their upper ends to the platform 19. As each bottlepasses the brush Hi, the inner portion of the label will be wipedagainst the inner side of the bottle. Likewise, as the bottle passes thebrush 11, the outer portion of the label will be wiped against the outerside of the bottle. It will be understood, of course, that thesestationary brushes cannot be used to wipe the labels around the rearsurfaces of the bottles, this being the function of the wiping rollers46 and 63.

If the vertical rods 5| and B8 are held stationary at all times, themachine can be operated and under some circumstances the operation willbe highly satisfactory. However, the rollers and 83 are given a rotatingmotion by their fricthe tail piece 48 is provided with a lug and with aprojecting finger 55. At assembly the fingers 54 and 55 are connected bya coiled tension spring 51, which holds the lugs 53 and 55 in contactexcept at such times as there is sufficient lateral pressure against theroller 46 to cause the spring 51 to yield.

A similar construction is provided at the lower end of the shaft 23.This shaft carries a crank 59 having a downwardly projecting crank pinGil on which an arm 6! is pivotally mounted. One end of this arm isbifurcated to receive a soft rubber roller 63 which is rotatably mountedon a vertical pin 64. The other end of the arm forms a tail piece 65having a longitudinal slot El therein to receive the lower portion of avertical rod 68, whereby the tail piece is both slidably and pivotallyconnected to the rod. The

tail piece 65 is preferably formed separately from the remainder of thearm, and the two parts are pivotally connected by means of the crank pin65. As shown particularly in Fig. '7, the main portion of the arm BI isprovided with a lug 69 and with a projecting finger H, and the tailpiece 55 is provided with a lug l2 and with a projecting finger 13. Thefingers H and 13 are connected by a coiled tension spring M, which holdsthe lugs 69 and 72 in contact unless the lateral tional engagement withthe labels and the bottles during the movement of the rollers toward thebottle line, and this rotating motion tends to continue by reason ofinertia. Consequently, if the rollers are moved away from the bottleline while still in contact with the labels, there will be a slipping ofthe rollers relative to the labels, and the direction of this slippingwill be such as to tend to move the free end of the label out of itsproper position. This problem is further complicated by the necessityfor moving the rollers vary rapidly away from the bottle line in orderto avoid interference with the on-coming supporting rods for the topgrips 16. In order to meet these requirements, I preferably modify themotion of the rollers slightly by imparting a lateral movement to therods El and B8. In the embodiment illustrated, this movement is such asto bring about a firm pressure of the rollers against the end portionsof the labels, and then a slight separation of the rollers from thelabels before the rollers begin to move away from the bottle line.

In the preferred construction, the rod 5! extends upwardly through aslot (not shown) in the platform l9, and the upper end of the rod issecured to one end of a horizontal lever 8| (Fig. 3), the other end ofthis lever being mounted on a vertical fulcrum pin 82 carried by abracket 83 on the top of the platform. Intermediate its length, thelever is provided with a cam roller 85 which engages the periphery of acam 86. This cam is formed with the slots 8'. through which screws 88extend upwardly to hold the cam securely against the lower surface ofthe gear 30 therea-bove. A coiled tension spring 90 is connected to thefree end of the lever and maintains a firm contact between the roller 85and the peripheral surface of the cam. This peripheral surface is forthe most part concentric with the shaft 22 and consequently provides along dwell, but there is a small flat or depressed portion 9| which isso located as to bring about an improved mode of operation, as will behereinafter described. The rod 68 is actuated by a similar mechanism;the upper portion of the rod being secured to one end of a horizontallever 93, the other end of the lever being pivoted on a vertical pin 94mounted in a bracket 95 on the top of the platform I9. A cam roller 91is mounted on the intermediate portion of the lever and engages theperiphery of a cam 98, this cam having two slots 99 therein throughwhich screws I extend upwardly into the gear 33 to hold the cam securelyagainst the same. A coiled tension spring H is connected to the free endof the lever and holds the roller 9'! firmly against the cam. The camsurface is largely concentric with the shaft 23, but a small flat ordepressed portion I02 is provided.

The operation of the invention will now be apparent from the abovedisclosure. The bottles will be placed upon the rotating table l5 bysuitable mechanism, the top grips I6 will descend and clamp the bottlesfirmly to the table, the labels will be applied'to the front of thebottles by suitable picker mechanism, and the label grippers will moverearwardly to hold the labels in place, all in accordance withwell-known and established practice in this art. The shaft 39 will serveto rotate the shafts 22 and 23 through the medium of the gearing shownin Fig, 2, thereby revolving the crank pins 43 and 60. This will imparta peculiar motion to the arms 44 and 6|, this motion being controlled bythe guide rods 5| and 68, which in turn are moved laterally at eachcycle by means of the cams 86 and 98. As a result, the wiping rollers 46and 63 travel in the generally oval paths indicated by the broken linesin Fig. 4. These paths may be described as closed circuits elongated inthe general direction of the bottle travel. The roller 46 at the righthand side of the bottle line will travel in a clockwise direction in itscircuit, whereas the roller 63 at 'the left hand side of the bottle linewill travel in a counterclockwise direction.

Still referring to Fig. 4, it will be seen that as each bottle passesthe first stationary brush 16 the inner portion of the label will bewiped against the bottle and will extend directly to the rear as thebottle approaches the first wiping roller 45. will move outwardly intocontact with the label and around to the rear of the bottle, pressingthe label firmly against the bottle. As the roller approaches a positionin the rear of the bottle, the flat portion 9| of the cam 86 will reachthe cam roller 85, the spring 9|] will swing the lever 8| about itspivot 82, and the guide rod 5| will move slightly to the rear. This willcause the tail piece 48 to occupy momentarily the position shown in fulllines in Fig. 6, rather than the position indicated by the broken lines,as would otherwise occur if the rod 5| were stationary. As a result, theroller 45 will be held more firmly against the label, the spring 51yielding to control the pressure. Furthermore, as the flat portion ofthe cam leaves the cam roller, the rod 5| will be moved suddenly forwardagain to its previous position, and there will be a slight separation ofthe wiping roller 46 from the bottle before this roller begins itsinward movement away from the bottle line. In Fig. 7 the crank 42 hascompleted three-fourths of arevolution from the position shown in Fig.4, and the wiping roller 46 has traveled inwardly nearly enough to allowthe top grip to pass on the outside thereof.

I After each-bottle leaves the first wiping roller it travels past thesecond stationary brush H, which causes the outerportion of the label tobe Then, as shown in Fig. 5, the roller wiped against the bottle and.extend rearwardly therefrom, as shown in Fig. 4. Thereupon the wipingroller 63 moves inwardly against the label and around to the rear of thebottle, as shown in Fig. 5. At this time, the flat portion I02 of thecam 98 will reach the cam roller 91, the spring will swing the lever 93about its pivot 94, and the guide rod 68will move slightly to'the rear.This will cause the tail piece 65 to occupy momentarily the positionshown in full lines in Fig. 5 rather than the position indicated by thebroken lines, as would otherwise occur if the rod 5| were stationary.Consequently, the roller 63 will exert a firmer pressure against thelabel, under the control of the yielding spring 14. As the flat portionof the cam leaves the cam roller, the rod 68 will suddenly move forwardagain to its original position, and the wipiing roller 63 will separateslightly from the bottle before starting its outward movement away fromthe bottle line. Thus there is no tendency to reverse the rotation ofthe wipiing roller about its pin 64, or to loosen the label from thebottle. The outward movement of the wiping roller continues as shown inFigs. 6 and '7, the crank arm 59 finally completing one revolution toreturn the parts to the positions shown in Fig. 4 as the next bottleapproaches.

This mechanism provides a very smooth wiping action, even at unusuallyhigh operating speeds. The labels are firmly pressed into position, andthere is no lifting or sliding of the ends of the labels. The cams 86and 98 are circular except for the small flat portions, and they arevery simple and inexpensive to manufacture. The timing of each cam canbe adjusted by loosening the screws 88 or NH], as the case may be, andturning the cam relative to its corresponding gear 3|] or 36. Similarly,the position of each crank arm can be adjusted by loosening the screws28 or 35, as the case may be, and turning the corresponding hub 24 or 3|relative to its corresponding gear 30 or 36. The mechanism is thoroughlydependable and well adapted for its intended purpose.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

l. A label wiping mechanism comprising means to move articles to belabeled along a definite line of travel, two rotatable elements onopposite sides of the said line of travel, a member eccentricallypivoted to each element, a label wiping device carried by each memberand means to guide the movements of the said members as the saidelements rotate.

2. A label wiping mechanism comprising elements rotatable aboutsubstantially parallel axes, means to rotate the said elements inopposite directions, a member eccentrically pivoted to each element, alabel Wiping device carried by each member, means to guide the movementsof the said members as. the elements rotate, and means to move articlesto be labeled along a path between the said devices.

3. A label wiping mechanism comprising elements rotatable aboutsubstantially parallel axes, means to rotate the said elements inopposite directions, a member eccentrically pivoted to each element, alabel wiping device carried by each member, a guide device slidably andpivotally connected to each member, cam mechanism to move the guidedevices, and means to move articles to be labeled along a path-betweenthe wipin'gidevices. 1 V

4. A label wiping mechanism comprising a horizontal rotatable tablearranged to support articles to be labeled and move them along adefinite arcuate path of travel, two elements rotatable about uprightaxes on opposite sides of the said path, means to rotate the innerelement in the same direction as the table and the outer element in theopposite direction, a member eccentrically pivoted to each element, alabel wiping roller carried by each member, and means to guide themovements of the said members as the said elements rotate.

5. A label wiping mechanism comprising a horizontal rotatable tablearranged to support articles to be labeled and move them along adefinite arcuate path of travel, two cranks rotatable about upright axeson opposite sides of the said path, means to rotate the inner crank inthe same direction as the table and the outer crank in the oppositedirection, an arm mounted on each crank, a label wiping roller carriedby each arm, and means to guide the movements of the arms as the cranksrotate.

6. A label wiping mechanism Comprising a horizontal rotatable tablearranged to support articles to be labeled and move them along adefinite arcuate path of travel, two upright shafts on opposite sides ofthe said path, means to rotate the inner shaft in the same direction asthe table and the outer shaft in the opposite direction, a crank on thelower end of each shaft, an arm mounted on each crank, a label wipingroller carried by each arm, and means to guidethe movements of the armsas the cranks rotate.

7. A label wiping mechanism comprising a horizontal rotatable tablearranged to support articles to be labeled and move them along adefinite arcuate path of travel, two upright shafts on opposite sides ofthe said path, means to rotate the inner shaft in the same direction asthe table and the outer shaft in the opposite direction, a crank on thelower end of each shaft, an arm mounted on each crank and provided witha tail piece, a label wiping roller carried by each arm, and meansengaging each tail piece to guide the movements of the arms as thecranks rotate.

8. A label wiping mechanism comprising a horizontal rotatable tablearranged to support articles to be labeled and move them along adefinite arcuate path of travel, two upright shafts on opposite sides ofthe said path, means to rotate the inner shaft in the same direction asthe table and the outer shaft in the opposite direction, a crank on thelower end of each shaft, an arm mounted on each crank and provided witha tail piece, a label wiping roller carried by each arm, and guide meansslidably and pivotally connected to each tail piece.

9. A label wiping mechanism comprising a horizcntal rotatable tablearranged to support articles to be labeled and move them along adefinite arcuate path of travel, two upright shafts on opposite sides ofthe said path, means to rotate the inner shaft in the same direction asthe table and the outer shaft in the opposite direction, a crank on thelower end of each shaft having a downwardly extending crank pin, an armmounted on each crank pin, each arm having two parts which are pivotallyconnected to each other by the crank pin, a spring yieldably holding thetwo parts of each arm in a definite relationship, a label wiping rollercarried by one part of each arm, and guide means slidably .and pivotallyconnected to the other part of each arm.

10. A label wiping mechanism comprising a horizontal rotatable tablearranged to support articles to be labeled and move them along adefinite arcuate path of travel, two uprights shafts on opposite sidesof the said path, means to rotate the inner shaft in the same directionas the table and the outer shaft in the opposite direction, a crank onthe lower end of each shaft having a downwardly extending crank pin, anarm mounted on each crank pin, each arm being provided with a tailpiece, a label wiping roller mounted on each arm, movable guide meansconnected to each tail piece, and cams on the said shafts arranged toactuate the respective guide means.

11. A label wiping mechanism comprising a horizontal rotatable tablearranged to support articles to be labeled and move them along adefinite arcuate path of travel, two upright shafts on opposite sides ofthe said path, means to rotate the inner shaft in the same direction asthe table and the outer shaft in the opposite direction, a crank on thelower end of each shaft having a downwardly extending crank pin, an armmounted on each crank pin, each arm being provided with a tail piece, alabel wiping roller mounted on each arm, an upright rod adjacent eachtail piece, the tail pieces being slidably and pivotally connected tothe rods, and cams on the said shafts and arranged to move the rodslaterally.

12. A label wiping mechanism comprising a horizontal rotatable tablearranged to support articles to be labeled and move them along adefinite arcuate path of travel, two upright shafts on opposite sides ofthe said path, means to rotate the inner shaft in the same direction asthe table and the outer shaft in the opposite direction, a crank on thelower end of each shaft having a downwardly extending crank pin, an armmounted on each crank pin, each arm being provided with a tail piece, alabel wiping roller mounted on each arm, an upright rod adjacent eachtail piece, the tail pieces being slidably and pivotally connected tothe rods, cam levers connected to the upper portions of the rods tosupport the same, the levers being arranged to swing substantiallyhorizontally, and cams mounted on the said shafts and arranged to swingthe levers.

13. A label wiping mechanism comprising a horizontal rotatable tablearranged to support articles to be labeled and move them along adefinite arcuate path of travel, two upright shafts on opposite sides ofthe said path, means to rotate the inner shaft in the same direction asthe table and the outer shaft in the opposite direction, a crank on thelower end of each shaft having a downwardly extending crank pin, an armmounted on each crank pin, each arm being provided with a tail piecehaving a slot therein, a label wiping roller mounted on each arm, anupright rod adjacent each tail piece and arranged with its lower portionin the corresponding slot, and cams on the said shafts and arranged tomove the rods laterally.

14. A label wiping mechanism comprising means to move articles to belabeled along a defi-

